Sometimes, it’s amazing that DePaul has struggled as mightily as it has recently. It’s far and away has the greatest college basketball tradition of any school in the state of Illinois, short of the Illini themselves and rivals Northwestern in terms of dominating the Chicago-land collegiate landscape, athletically.

But nonetheless, the last decade has been cruel for the Blue Demons, but the Mayor of Chicago has a plan to help end the hurt, with Rahm Emanuel expected to announce plans to build a $300 million arena for DePaul, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The plans will include $100 million coming from taxpayer dollars in the Chicago area, with the university committing $100 million to the project as well.

“The plans will pimp Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s attempt to lure the Blue Demons to the United Center and the new training facility he is building near the United Center,” one source told the Chicago Sun-Times. “This really ups the competition.”

The arena will be located at McCormick Place. Earlier this year, DePaul declined an offer for a 10-year, rent-free offer from Reinsdorf to move their games to the United Center in downtown Chicago to pursue Emanuel’s offer. The plan also features hotels in the area as well as ideas for tourism trade.

The Blue Demons have played their home games in Rosemont, Ill. since 1980.

“DePaul for years has been talking about a stadium in Chicago that’s better for their basketball team, better for their fans and better to be closer to home,” Emanuel said then.

DePaul has too much tradition to be as bad as it is. Bringing in coach Oliver Purnell was suppose to help things, and he’s recruited at an average level, but there has to be more to it than that. A new arena would help things, especially if you put said arena in an area that could be a social epicenter. But then, it’ll take a strong product inside that arena to keep people filling the seats.

Great idea. A taxpayer funded aid plan for a private school. More taxes going to private purposes. Government can’t pay for government functions so it seems like a good idea to fund the private sector. Huh?